There are many different types of electric motors including those that are AC or DC, brushed or brushless, sensored or sensorless, and that serve open- or closed-loop applications, to cite a few examples. Some common electric motor applications for vehicles include fuel pumps, blowers, cooling fans, etc., but electric motors have been used throughout the vehicle in other applications as well. In the case of fuel pumps, most electric fuel pump motors were traditionally brushed DC motors, however, there is currently an effort to transition from brushed to brushless DC motors. The algorithms and circuitry that control a brushed DC motor are somewhat different from those that control a brushless DC motor, thus, different software and hardware are usually required when switching from one motor type to the other.
It would be desirable to develop a universal control unit that is capable of driving either a brushed or a brushless DC motor so that the system can be used with either motor type, thereby reducing costs and facilitating reusability.